Flaming Roses
by Black Rose TD
Summary: This is my second story though I think that my first one is better than this one. The power of the elements are in chaos and the YYH gang have thrown in the middle of it thanks to Kurama. Please review. Current status: Pending will be for a while
1. Prolouge

Egypt

18th Dynasty

She stretched in the sun. She hated the sand and heat but loved the good treatment. She was treated like a goddess, and in her own mind, was one. 'These people are idiots… useful idiots though.' A female servant held a piece of meat in front of her face. She ate it. She was stretched out on a pillow. The servant fed her another piece of meat. 'Must be pheasant.' She thought. 'Life is good,' she thought. The pharaoh's wife, Nari, came out onto the landing. She walked down to the waters edge. Her servants flocked around her. Her feet slapped against the marble floors. She went down the steps and slid into the water. 'Nari,' she thought. The woman was from Europe, and didn't like her. Nari didn't believe in the same things the Egyptians believed, but the pharaoh had fallen in love. 'Idiot,' she thought. 'Love is such a waist of time.'

_She stretched again, her amber eyes drawn to slits. The servant tried to feed her another piece of the pheasant, but she turned her head away not really hungry. She had always preferred to catch her own food anyway. The sun was warming her to the point of discomfort. She lifted herself from the pillow and walked down to the waters edge, but unlike Nari she was soundless, as always. Her small sleek form slid into the water with out so much as ripple. She looked to the servant who had fed her; the woman hadn't even seen her leave. 'I still got it,' she said to herself. She swam through the water and watched the fish scatter. She returned to dry land and started to groom herself. When she was done she returned to her pillow and let the sun warm and dry her._

_The pharaoh came out onto the landing and called to his wife. Nari left the water and came over to where she lay. Nari looked down at her then to the servant that had been feeding her. She could see the contempt in Nari's eyes. She also thought that the Egyptians were idiots, but she thought so because they were worshiping a cat. Something about Nari wasn't right. She didn't know what it was, but Nari wasn't normal. Her being was just somehow… wrong. Nari was human but in some way not human. The Egyptian people didn't like her, feared her. Nari seemed sweet but was quick to anger and even quicker to punish. The power of being queen had clearly gone to her head. She knew that Nari hated that she, a cat, was treated better than she, the queen of all Egypt and, in her own mind, of everything the light of day touched. _

Nari thought that the whole world revolved around her. That she was the sun and the moon. The morning and the evening star. The boss. She had her nose so high up in the air that if it rained she'd drown. In her mind she was a goddess, and should be treated as thus. But in reality she was the goddess and Nari was just a queen. The world revolved around her. She was the sun, the moon, and the stars. She was the morning and the evening star. She was the boss. When she meowed people listened and responded before she could even draw breath. Compared to her, Nari was nothing, and she loved to remind her of that little fact right when Nari was on her high horse. Life was good.


	2. Meetings

Japan

Present

_The silver and black tabby cat silently padded down the sidewalk. It was sometime in the afternoon and the human monsters roared down the street next to her. She hated the Thunder Path. It always smelled like exhaust and gas fumes. She didn't know how the house cats dealt with the smell in there fur all the time. She stopped and lay down in the middle of the sidewalk. She closed her eyes, fully aware of all that went on around her. Seeing with out looking. She suddenly opened her eyes and looked into the emerald green of a boys eyes. She immediately went into a fighting stance. He was a demon. Her fur bristled and she hissed a warning for him to back down or die. He looked at her and smiled sadly. "You don't know what to make of me do you?" he asked softly. "I look human but don't smell human, huh?" _

_He was right. To animals, demons disguised as humans did tend to screw with the mind. Senses told you that there was a threat, but the eyes only saw a human. It was enough to make a cat want to go get her eyes examined. "I only want to get home," he said taking a step forward. She hissed again. She would kill him if she had to. She only wanted to get back to the forest that she called home, and away from this hell hole humans called society. _

"_What's the matter, Kurama?" a boy with black hair called out as he came near with two boys flanking both of his sides. "The cat wanna pick a fight with you?"_

"_Just kick the damn thing out of your way, Kurama," a short boy with crimson eyes said._

"_Don't!" the ugly one said. "It's just a harmless little kitty. It's not like it can really hurt him." 'Who the hell are you calling harmless?' she thought. 'I can kick your ass any day of the week.'_

"_Hi, boys!" a woman with blue hair sang out as she approached. She also had two others flanking both of her sides. "Oh, what a cute little kitty!" she squealed. _

"_What's so cute about it?" Another girl had joined the group. She had blond hair and blue eyes. "It looks down right vicious to me."_

"_It's not vicious. It's probably just disoriented with all the demons around." Another blue haired girl said._

"_Yeah," a brunette commented. "Poor thing probably doesn't know what to think."_

"_I think the little shit should think about movin up out my way," the blond said. "I gotta get home." The boy with the crimson eyes lifted her into his arms and jumped over the cat easily. _

"_See you guys later," he said as they started walking._

"_We should go, Yukina." The perky blue haired girl said. "We do have a science project to think about."_

"_And math homework to go over," the ugly one added._

"_Yes, of course. Let's go. Bye." The other blue haired girl said as the three of them started around the cat. _

"_Well, we'll see you later, Kurama." The black haired boy said, slipping his arm around the brunettes' waist._

"_Bye," she said as they walked away._

"_Well," he said watching them leave. "I guess it's just you and me then." He looked down at her and smiled. "Good bye," he said starting past her. He stopped and looked back at her. He shook his head, "I was talking to a cat." He said. "I need to get out more." He started walking again and she started to calm down. Then she shot off like a rocket toward home. Humans had just gotten a little more interesting._

_"Hello, Tinko." Geegee said as the silver and black cat came in the window. "What did you find out?" The cat had started to change to a human form except that she had fur, a tail, cat ears, and claws. She had long silver hair with black roots, and cat eyes, which were now blue. _

"_One: my name is Tinco. As in tin. Not tink. Two: nothing. These demons showed up and Rakunaji ran off like a coward."_

"_Oh," she said. "I'm so sorry, Tinko."_

"_Tinco."_

"_Yes. Sorry." Tinco rolled her eyes. _

"_Anyway, what have you been up to?"_

"_Cooking. Cleaning. Housework. Hungry? I made stew." Geegee held a bowl of stew under her nose._

"_Um," Tinco said turning her head away. "No thanks." She started toward the door._

"_Where are you going?"_

"_Home."_

"_Where do you live anyway?"_

"_Oh, around. Hear and there."_

"_When did you move in?" Tinco smiled sweetly. 'God, is she really that slow?' she thought._

"_I didn't. Well… bye."_

"_Oh, bye. Remember, dad has a 11 o'clock curfew." Tinco gave her a skeptical look, then rolled her eyes again._

"_What ever." Tinco turned into a cat again and left. _

_"Hey, Tinco." A girl with deep blue eyes said as Tinco bounded into the clearing._

"_Hey, Koji." The girl had blue water for hair that occasionally had fish in it. "Where's Moji?" _

"_Here," a girl said as she turned herself from a tree to a girl, though her short hair was still a leaf green. The wind blew and another girl formed from the air. _

"_Whirlwind is the only way to travel." She said when she was whole again._

"_I like swimming myself," Koji said. She was in the small lake that was in the clearing._

"_Well of course you do. You're half fish," Kiki said, rolling her eyes._

"_Dolphin. There are no scales on this fin," she said lifting it out of the water._

"_Okay, now that the gangs all here," Tinco said getting down to business. "My meeting today was a bust. Some demons showed up and my source of information decided he wanted to be a coward and run off. I've got nothing."_

"_We could take a more direct rout," Moji said making her leaf green hair grow._

"_How's that?" Koji asked._

"_We could go under cover," Kiki said with excitement._

"_No way," Tinco said._

"_You said that She was living in the human world," Moji stated._

"_I said She might be living in the human world. It might not even be Her."_

"_So let's take a chance," Koji said._

"_I'd rather not have to go through a traumatizing experience if it's not absolutely necessary."_

"_But what if it's Her?" Kiki pressed. "You could miss her."_

"_And what do you mean by traumatizing?" Moji asked._

"_I mean living in the human world as a human," Tinco said._

"_Human life isn't so bad."_

"_Yeah, right. I hate human life. Those monsters on the Thunder Path. Clothes. Shoes. And the smells." Tinco wrinkled her nose as she said the last words._

"_They're called cars, and a high way," Koji said._

"_Clothes are great," Kiki said. "Especially shopping for them. Shoes too."_

"_The smells are great too. Pizza, cheeseburgers, ribs, and chicken," Moji said. _

"_Oh, come on!" All three said at once._

"_Fine, fine. Okay, but I'm tellin you, human life is a bitch," Tinco said._


	3. School

Japan

Two weeks later

"Class, we have a new student in our class. Her name is Tinco Mitchiba." Mr. Jakara told the class. Tinco walked into the room with a fluid grace that made her look as if she was flowing instead of walking. She was wearing a school uniform and probably looked as uncomfortable as she felt. A lot of the boys let out catcalls and hooted as she came in. She looked around the room, ignoring them. The red head boy, the short black haired boy, and the blond from the sidewalk were in her class. "Miss Mitchiba, would you care to tell us something about yourself?"

"No," she said, still looking around.

"Excuses me?" Mr. Jakara asked.

"You asked me if I would care to tell something about myself. I said 'No'." Tinco said finally looking at him. A lot of boys and some girls laughed. Mr. Jakara smiled.

"Well, why don't you tell us where you're from?"

"Originally from Africa."

"Africa?" He asked, trying to get her to say more.

"Yeah, Africa." He sighed.

"What part of Africa?"

"Egypt."

"Really?" He sounded really fascinated.

"Yep." The whole class laughed then. Mr. Jakara hung his head, giving up on getting her to talk.

"Well, does anyone have any questions for Miss Mitchiba?" He asked the class. A girl raised her hand. "Yes?"

"How did you die your hair that way?" she asked, indicating Tinco's silver hair with black routs.

"I didn't. It's my natural hair color."

"Yeah, right," she said skeptically. "Give us proof."

"Why? I don't give a damn if you believe me or not." Everyone laughed at that. The girl pouted and rolled her eyes.

"Anyone else?" Mr. Jakara asked. Another girl raised her hand. "Yes?"

"Where did you get your contacts from?" she asked.

"Contacts?" Tinco asked.

"The color."

"What the hell are you talkin about?" she said.

"Please don't cuss in my class," Mr. Jakara said.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

"I like her," the boy with crimson eyes whispered to the blond sitting next to him. She giggled.

"Your eyes. They're gold. You know like wolf eyes. Where did you get the contacts from?"

"Didn't," Tinco said looking straight into her eyes. "It's a normal thing for me. A birth defect. They change color every hour, and glow in the dark." Koji had told her to say that about her eyes. They where cat eyes and did change color by the hour, and they tend to glow. 'God, do humans have anything that they where born with?' she thought.

"So you can tell time by what color your eyes are?" a boy called out.

"Pretty much." Tinco started to go for the open seat by the red haired boy from the sidewalk. It was the only open seat in the class. Mr. Jakara seemed a little surprised with the way she had ended the conversation so abruptly without saying more than two words.

"Um… yes. Take the empty seat by Kurama." He said. Kurama had been clearing a space for her at his table. Everyone sat in pairs. Two to a table. Tinco sat down next to him. The girl who had asked about her hair was glaring at her. The class had gotten quiet.

"Can I help you?" Tinco asked her.

" I think that you must be a real bitch," she said. "You seem so full of yourself."

"Little girl, you're bout two seconds from gettin your ass beat. So I suggest you watch your mouth when talkin to me. I don't give a rats fat ass bout what you think or what your opinion of me is. If I want your opinion I'll ask. So turn around before you get hurt."

"Wow, Tinco," Moji had just come into the classroom. "Having a bad day?"

"Don't wanna be here. What do you want?"

"Do you have a math book that I can borrow? I left mine at home."

"I already memorized all my text books. I don't need them so I don't carry them with me. Sorry."

"Oh,"

"Ask Kiki."

"She's in my class."

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Damn. Well…what about Koji?"

"She was my next stop."

"Ask her." Tinco said.

"Okay. Thanks anyway. I'll see you at lunch."

"Sure." Moji left, and Mr. Jakara stared at her.

"You memorized your text books?" He asked stunned.

"Photographic memory." Was all she said. Mr. Jakara, seeing that he wasn't going to be able to get her to elaborate stared his lesson for the day.

"You were being really nasty to that girl in your class today, Tinco," Moji said at lunch. Koji, Moji, and Kiki were sitting on the ground under a tree. Tinco was up in the tree. The three of them were eating; Tinco was looking at her food as if it some kind of disease and it probably did. She still preferred to catch her own food. The thrill of the hunt was the greatest feeling in the world. Tinco lived for it. There was a bird in the tree a little further up, and a squirrel next to her. She could feel its heart beating; taste the blood flowing through its little veins. She wanted that squirrel so bad that she could even feel warm flesh beneath her paws now. But she had to stay in character, and humans didn't turn into cats, or eat squirrels raw. Even though that was the best way to eat them, when the heart was still beating.

"So?" She asked, looking back at her food with disgust.

"So, why are you being so mean?"

"Like I said before. I don't wanna be here. This place smells like crap. And the food looks diseased."

"You can't have fresh kill," Kiki said. "I've seen the way you've been eyein that squirrel. Stop it."

"I'm hungry!"

"Then eat your food," Koji said.

"You call this food?"

"The food here isn't much to look at but I promise you that it tastes better than it looks… or smells." They all jumped at the sound of a boy's voice. It was the red head from class.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Tinco, right?"

"Who wants to know?"

He smiled, "Me."

"Why?"

"Mr. Jakara gave us all science projects to do with our partners about two weeks ago. He said your suppose to be my partner."

"What happened to your other partner?" Tinco asked, jumping down out the tree.

"I didn't have one."

"So I'm supposed to be your partner?"

"Yes."

"What's the project about?"

"The effect of microbes on a chicken egg."

"Okay."

"You have no clue what he's talkin bout do you?" Kiki asked her.

"Nope." He laughed.

"Well, give me your phone number and I'll call you."

"E-mail would be better. Kiki's on the phone so much that the phone company worships her."

"Not funny," Kiki said. She gave him her e-mail address and promised to be on as soon as she got home.

"So you and Kurama been talkin?" Kiki asked. They were eating breakfast a month later.

"Yeah. Our project's almost finished." Tinco had been out hunting early that morning. "It's goin pretty well."

"Forget the project. I meant you and him. Like dating."

"Yeah, right. Very funny." Tinco went up to her room and closed her door. 'Dating?' she thought. Tinco smiled at the thought. 'He's sweet, charming, fun to be with, cute…' She shook her head. 'He's a human!' She was disgusted with herself. 'Well a demon. So it's all right then. Right?'


	4. Budding romances

Japan

One month later

'How the hell did I get myself into this?' Tinco thought. She was on a date, and nervous as hell. It was irritating. She had never felt like this before. The squirrel she ate before Kurama had come to pick her up was threatening to come back with a vengeance, but she couldn't be having a better time. She felt like a weird reincarnation of Cinderella. Kurama had taken her to her first carnival. She had had ice cream, cotton candy, a candy apple, and a corndog. The rides were great and Kurama had won her a big tiger doll. They were walking home now. 'And all this from the girl who had said that love was a waist of time.' In the two months that she had known Kurama she had started to like him more and more.

"Here," he handed her the tiger at the door to her house.

"Thanks. I had a great time," she said, and before she could think about it she kissed him on the cheek. He looked surprised for a second then he smiled.

"Good night." He said.

"Good night." Tinco went into the house. She went up to her room and closed the door. 'I can't believe I did that!' she thought. She had been as surprised as he was after her show of affection.

"You never told us how your date went last night," Kiki said at breakfast the next morning. Tinco had just gotten back from hunting. Moji, Koji, and Kiki had jumped her when she came back. Moji had been very touched that Kurama had won the tiger for her. Koji had been introduced to ice cream before and had become addicted to the stuff. Kiki was more interested in if she had gotten a kiss at the end of the night. Tinco blushed and told her no. "Did he try to kiss you?"

"No."

"That sucks."

"It was only her first date," Koji pointed out.

"There's always next time," Moji said.

"I'm outta here." Tinco said. She walked to school by herself. She got there early and walked through the halls. There was a girl in the hallway. She had black hair and she gave Tinco a feeling of unease. Something wasn't right about her. 'Her,' Tinco thought.

Tinco opened a psychic link with Koji, Moji, and Kiki. 'Meet me back the clearing now. She's back.'


	5. Nari

_"Okay so, what do we do about Her?" Moji asked._

"_How do we know that it's even Her?" Kiki said rolling her eyes. "I mean come on. The last time we saw Her was in the 1700's. She should have been dead a pretty long time."_

"_She could be a demon you know," Koji pointed out. "Tinco was around when Noah built the ark."_

'_Yeah and I almost drowned,' Tinco thought. "I'm so old that I was around when dirt and water were new. Literally." Tinco said. "As for what we do about Her… I'm open for suggestions."_

"_You've been trying to track Her down for centuries and you don't even have a plan?" Kiki yelled._

"_All I know is that She wants to be the ruler of the universe. She will want to enslave everyone and She'll probably try. Give me some time to think. In the mean time… Kiki, I want you to run surveillance."_

"_Sure why not?" Kiki turned herself into a bird and took off._

"_What are you gonna do?" Koji asked._

"_Think," Tinco answered. She turned into a cat and bounded off into the woods._

_Nari walked through the woods. She could feel the demon activity but then it was gone. She pouted and turned around to leave. She loved human souls, they tasted better than demon souls, but demon souls had so much more power. Human blood was pure and rich, and gave her skin a lovely glow. But the blood of demons made her immortal and kept her beautiful. Mortals made nice pets though. Her time as queen in the 18th dynasty was wonderful. People waited on her hand and foot._

_She snapped her fingers and some one came running. Now that was the life. All except for that damned cat. She had wanted to see that cat's blood on her hands. Nari walked back to her temporary home and went up to her room. She went over to her desk were the book lay open before her. The great and ancient book of wisdom. It wasn't one that she kept out for any casual visitor to see. It was kept locked away. She wore the key around her neck at all times._

_As she read, she smiled. She managed to obey all the instructions with incredible precision. She looked out the window. Night. Almost all was done. Even the one who served her, about whom she had to admit to great trepidation, had served well. He knew what reward lay in obedience—and what punishment might lie in failure._

She looked out the window and saw the darkness of night. The moon was shining down with its strange and eerie blue cast. The fog would come again tonight. Just a little more to do…and the world, and the future, would be hers…

The black and silver tabby cat stretched. The sunlight through the trees dappled her fur. She had fallen asleep. Her tail flicked back and forth as a butterfly flew past her nose. She tensed. Something was in her forest. She shot up the nearest tree and sat on a branch. Her small paws grew to a massive size. Her tail stretched and she grew. The branch groaned slightly at the extra weight. The silver in her fur disappeared leaving her with a thick black coat. She had turned into a panther. The muscles rippled under her coat. Her adrenalin started pumping. She loved the thrill of the hunt. There were only two words that could describe her when she was like this: liquid steel. Her pink eyes gleamed as she waited for her prey to enter the clearing. A boy with red hair walked through the brush. She pounced.


	6. The Elements

She flew through the air, claws extended. Just as she was about to hit her prey something hit her in the side hard enough to knock her off course. She missed her prey by a hair. The force of the blow sent her sprawling into the under brush. She immediately leapt to her feet and turned toward her attacker. "You really should be more careful, Kurama." Hiei said as he unsheathed his katana. She glanced over at Kurama. 'So I didn't miss,' she thought. There was a thin red line on Kurama' s cheek that was starting to bleed.

_"Tinco!" some one was yelling her name. But Tinco's eyes didn't leave Hiei' s. "Tinco!" Geegee came running through the brush and came face to face with Tinco. "Oh, crap." She said realizing that she had walked up on a pissed off panther. She didn't know that it was Tinco. "Oh, me. Oh, my." She said. 'She is such an idiot,' she thought. Tinco snarled. _

"_Step back very slowly," Kurama instructed. "Very, very slowly." Geegee did as she was told moving slowly toward Hiei and Kurama. When she was clear of Tinco Hiei smirked, ready to attack. "You don't have to kill her," Kurama said._

"_It's a demon, Kurama." Hiei said._

"_It hasn't done anything."_

"_It attacked you."_

"_How was it suppose to know that I was a demon? It was hunting. At least it's hunting animals instead of humans."_

"_Time to die." Hiei said and charged. A girl stood in his way. She had just appeared. Hiei blinked. _

"_Please don't hurt her." She had her arms spread out in front of Tinco. "Please." The girl was green with long, thin vines for hair. She had on a brown short dress that looked like bark and had flowers growing in her hair and on her body. _

"_Wow. A wood nymph!" Geegee said. _

"_Please don't hurt her." She said rolling her eyes at Geegee. Hiei readied himself for an attack again._

"_Hiei! She said please!" Kurama said._

"_So," Hiei said. He was going to attack._

"_Don't hurt Tinco!" Kurama yelled. Hiei tripped and fell on his face._

"_Tinco? The same Tinco you've been dating! Your girlfriend, Tinco!" Kurama blushed a bright red that was almost the same color of his hair. _

"_She's not……………… not my…………… Can we change the subject!" Tinco had started to slink away._

"_Hold it, Flame!" Tinco stopped holding still as a stone. They all turned to her sharp tone. _

"_You're Tinco's boyfriend!" Geegee asked in amazement. "She didn't seem like the type of girl who could get a boyfriend." Tinco bristled. Geegee was dead as soon as she could get her hands on her. 'Can't get a boyfriend, huh! Where's your man! I don't see him anywhere around. Oh, wait. You don't have a man!' Kurama blushed even more. _

"_I'm sure she's very capable of getting a boyfriend, but I'm not it." Tinco was hurt. The back of her eyes started to prickle. She blinked rapidly. "I haven't asked her………yet." Kurama was now the same color of his hair. 'Yeah!' Tinco's heart leapt. 'Yet?' Tinco started to turn to her human form. She was covered with black fur, had white flames for hair, cat ears, a tail, claws, and cat eyes. She cocked her head to the side and her purple gaze met Kurama's green one. He looked a little dazed. _

"_How did you know it was me?" she asked. She always hid her demonic aura so that no one could trace her._

"_Smell." Kurama said with a wry smile._

"_Smell?"_

"_Maybe you should bathe more." Kiki said forming out the air again._

"_I bathe more than you do. And you!" she pointed to Geegee. "Can't get a boyfriend? What the hell was that all about?"_

"_Sorry."_

"_So was that a yet that I heard?" Koji asked. _

"_Yeah. He said yet. So does that mean you have a boyfriend now?" Moji asked. _

"_He hasn't asked. So no." Tinco said._

"_He said yet though. Right, Flow?" Koji asked Moji._

"_That's what I heard." She said with a smile._

" _And I'm ending this conversation."_

"_But-" Koji said._

"_But nothin. Now, What did you learn, Breeze."_

"_Hold on. Breeze? Flow?" Hiei asked. _

"_I'm Breeze and she's Flower. Flow for short." Kiki said pointing to Moji._

"_And I'm Dew." Koji said feeling just a little left out of the introduction loop. _

"_Wind, water, and earth." Kurama said._

"_Very perceptive." Koji said with a sunny smile._

"_And you called Tinco, Flame." Hiei said._

"_The Elements, at your service." Tinco said._


	7. Heat

"_There are eight elements in all," Tinco said to boys._

"_Eight? I even know there are only four elements," Kuwabara scoffed. "Fire, Water, Earth, and Air." Tinco rolled her eyes and continued._

"_Like I said, eight elements in all." _

"_But there are only four."_

"_Eight."_

"_Four."_

"_Eight."_

"_Four!"_

"_You are jack hammerin my last nerve." He started to argue again but stopped when he saw the flames leap in her blood red eyes. He quickly shut up. "Eight elements. Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, as mortals more commonly know them today. The other four are Light, Darkness, Ice, and Metal."_

"_You mean there are four more girls who look like you all goin around?" Yusuke asked._

"_No. The other two elements are boys." _

"_Two? But you said there where eight elements," Kuwabara stated. _

"_Not any more. There are only six now. Steel and Ray…" Her voice hitched and was thick with unshed tears. Moji had tears running down her cheeks already. She sniffed. _

"_Ray was killed trying to protect me," Moji stated in a tight voice. Kiki and Koji's eyes were starting to mist over. "H-he saved my life."_

"_Steel…" Tinco's voice cracked. "Steel…died in battle. It was my fault they both died." Kiki, Moji, Koji's heads all snapped up at that. Tinco stood and walked out of the room. Kurama stood to go after her._

"_Don't." Koji said thickly. "Let her go." She was crying now herself. Kiki's face was red and she was trying hard to keep her composure. She lost. A single tear slid down her cheek. _

"_They were very important to you." Botan said softly and put her arm around Moji's shoulders. _

"_Come with me to the bathroom Moji," Koji said and walked out with her. _

"_Ray and Flow, or I should say Moji, were…together. More than together. Inseparable. It was as if they were connected at the hip." She laughed. "In more ways than one, if you get my drift." She sniffed. "Flame, Tinco, and Steel were even more, lets say attached to each other. Where she went Steel was right behind her and vies, versa. They had such a great love for life and each other. It was as if no one else in the world mattered but them. They knew each other so well that they could read each other's minds. It was cute. They had such a strong bond that we thought they would never be apart in any way…" Her voice cracked, "We were wrong." _

"_We were fighting Nari for the first time, around the 13th century," Koji said softly. "We were paired with our neutralizers. Fire with Air to make a piro-tornado, Light and Darkness to control the balance of life and death, Earth and Ice to control health and sickness, Metal and Water just because we were the only two left. Earth and Ice were leading the infirmary taking care of the sick and injured, Fire and Air were checking out the supplies, Light and Darkness were running recon, and that left Steel and me for look out. Nari had sent out her demon army and Steel told me to sound the alarm. That should have been my first clue that he was gonna try somethin stupid. H-he went out to fight the first onslaught by himself."_

"_Flame-I mean Tinco-found out and was furious. She took off after him," Moji stated through her tears. "Everything was thrown into chaos then. I stayed to heal people and Ice, Air, and Water got together and made the biggest snowstorm they could muster on such short notice. Light and Darkness were holding the front and back lines with the rest of our army. I was noticed and was stolen from the tent. I was taken to Nari. Ray came to rescue me with Steel and Flame at his sides. They watched his back as he attacked Nari. She was losing and then tried to suck my powers out of me. That can kill an element permanently, by the way. Ray stepped in and she killed him. Just one minute he was there and the next… he…just…wasn't."_

"_She set her sights on Flame, Tinco, next," Kiki said. "She was gonna kill her too. Nari attacked and Flame dodged it, but Steel had been right behind her. Watching her back. He was hit and he disintegrated. There one second and a pile of ash and some floating particles the next. Flame went crazy. She started to really heat things up. Literally."_

"_She turned the battle ground into an inferno with heat that rivaled the sun. She nuked the whole place. Everything within a 55,000-mile radius was obliterated. Shadow had wrapped us all in a cocoon of darkness at the last second and saved our lives. When the shield opened she was standing there in the middle of nothingness and then she turned to a pillar of smoke and disappeared."_

"_We didn't see her again until the 15th century," Moji said softly. _

"Feel jealous that she was in love with another guy?" Hiei asked from behind.

"Maybe," Kurama stated sulkily.

"He's dead, Kurama."

"Absence makes heart grow fonder."

"It's not like you to act this way. Jealousy and possessiveness is my act."

"Shut up."

"She's your girl, Kurama. She really cares for you. There's no need to be jealous of him."

"He held my girl in his arms. MY girl. Even though I know he's dead I want to rip him apart for even thinking about her."

"Welcome to the world of love."

In the art room Kurama, who was shirtless, and Tinco waited for the teacher and their six classmates to get back from the supply room on the other side of the school. They were alone. "Your face is beet red, Kurama." Tinco laughed. "Do you get that nervous when you're being looked at?"

"When I'm doing the looking also gets my blood racing," he smiled as her face turned red. He got up and walked up to her until she had to back up. He followed her and didn't stop until she was up against the wall. "Can I look?" he asked as his eyes traveled down her body. "Can I touch?" he whispered as he fingered the hem of her mini skirt. He slowly lowered his head so that their lips barely touched, his finger making small circles on her thigh. "Can I?" he asked one last time.

"God, yes!" Tinco breathed. Kurama smiled and then he kissed her slowly and gently, belying the heat in his emerald eyes. Tinco's hands curled in his hair as his other hand found its way under her tank top and moved to play with her belly button. Her right hand moved down to his bare shoulders then to his chest. She felt his stomach muscles clench as if anticipating her touch. His lips traveled across her jaw and down her throat. His hips pressed against the softness of her belly. He groaned. His fingers had abandoned her stomach and were now deftly undoing the top buttons on her tank top, his lips following close behind. She sighed. Kurama's lips returned to hers and she nibbled his lip as he fumbled with the clasp of her bra.

"You were too many clothes," he whispered raggedly.

"Are we interrupting?" They both jumped at the sound of Hiei's voice. "What ever you're doing, finish it fast. Mrs. Takahashi's coming back." Kurama swore under his breath and started to redo the buttons of her shirt as she pulled down her skirt. Mrs. Tackahashi and rest of the class filed into the art room. They stepped apart.

"Okay Mr. Model," she said to Kurama. "Get in place," she pointed to the small stage where he was to stand shirtless.

"Sure," he said and turned to Tinco. "You bit me," he whispered with a grin as he licked the blood off his lip.


	8. Dark Chill

Koji opened her chest, the real rubies, diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires twinkled in the fading twilight. Shadow had given her the chest in the late Middle Ages. She looked into the chest and saw nothing but shadows. Koji smiled as she saw the letters Shadow had sent her. "Sing me no songs of daylight," she whispered into the box. The shadows in the box started to swirl. A shadow lifted into the air and formed words.

Sing me no songs of daylight,

For the sun is the enemy of lovers.

Sing instead of shadows and darkness,

And memories of midnight.

It was one of her favorite poems that Shadow had sent her. It reminded her of the nights they used to spend in Feudal Japan staring at the stars. She sighed. "Sun and Moon." She said softly. It was sent to her only moments ago. The shadows in the chest swirled and tumbled into the shape of words.

Everyone wants to be the sun

That lights up your life, but

I would rather be the Moon

That shines on you in your darkest hours.

Koji smiled to herself, she had already memorized the short poem. Just as she was about to close the lid to the chest another long shadow formed over the chest. It formed into words:

I just had an inspiration for this poem and I wanted you to read it. My thoughts have been leaning toward darkness and death lately. I think its time to come see my one source of happiness. If you didn't know that's you. :

As we are born, we learn to listen for the sound of our mother's voice because we know it to be the source of our pleasure and comfort, that she will satisfy our hunger and take away our pain.

It is our first lesson in learning to love.

For some babies the sounds are not loving and kind. The stroke of the mother's hand becomes that which we associate with hunger and pain. The depths of her despair are echoed in the shrill, unanswered cries of her child.

It is the first lesson in learning to fear.

Then there are the babies whose mother's voice is forever missing. They have no one to bond to, no nourishment is shared. There is no soft voice in the dark to take away their fears.

It is their first and last lesson that no one cares.

Koji smiled sadly as she finished the last line. "I care," she whispered raggedly. Shadow was darkness and was always extremely in tune with the pain and suffering of others. He could even actually felt what they felt. It was kind of scary. The doorbell rang, jerking Koji from her thoughts. "I'll get it," Kiki yelled up the stairs.

She opened the door, screamed in delight, and jumped in to his arms. Koji came to the door in a panic. Then she saw what all the commotion was about. Chill was back. "My baby!" Kiki screeched. Chill spun her around and gave her a hard quick kiss. She shook her head. And looked around expectantly. Her face fell and the light in her eyes slowly died. He wasn't there. Chill and Kiki were making out in the doorway, oblivious to anything and everything around them.

"Can't take them anywhere," a soft deep baritone said from behind her. She quickly whirled around not wanting to believe she had heard right. "Looking for me?" the dark figure asked with a, very rare, slight smile on his face. Koji launched her self at him and through her arms around his neck. Shadow wrapped her in his arms and held her, feeling her tears soak through his black shirt.

"Two more elements visitin home?" Kiki asked.

"Two more elements stayin home," Chill stated she nibbled his ear.

"Really!" Kiki and Koji asked together.

"You know I can't keep away from you," Shadow stated in that soft way of his. Koji squealed in delight and hugged him tighter. As his name stated Shadow was very much a shadow. His pitch black hair was so dark it didn't even have a highlight as the light from the setting sun beamed down on them. He was as pale as death no matter how long he stayed in the sun. His attitude was very dark and his midnight eyes had a haunted look to them that only Koji could take away. He was so soft spoken that you had to strain to hear him almost all the time. He was also very deadly. He brought new meaning to the fraise: Speak softly and carry a big stick. Brotha had one big ass stick. He was very level headed and was always in rigid control of himself, except where Koji was concerned though.

Chill was much the same way except that he was a joker. He always had something to laugh about. Shadow and Chill were never all that close in the past because Shadow was so serious. But now that Ray and Steel were gone they were closer. Not best friends, but it was an improvement. Chill had snow-white hair and powder blue eyes that had a tendency to turn white when he was excited or mad. It took a lot of shit to piss off Chill but when you did he was always coldly furious and the weather had a tendency to drop to freezing temperatures and even snow in the middle of summer. People usually mistook him as an albino because of his extremely pale skin. He was tall and always always cold to the touch. The only way to tell if he was sick would be if his skin was at a normal temperature. That was his idea of a fever.

"Where's Flow?" Chill asked when he and Kiki came up for air.

"In the house," Koji said. They all filed into the house Kiki and Chill holding hands, and Shadow with his arm around Koji's waist. "Well she was in the house." She stated in confusion when they had checked the whole house and didn't find her.

They were sitting around the living room talking about life and death. "So what you're saying is that it is okay to kill some one if it's a mercy killing?" Kiki asked incredulously.

"Murder is murder. It doesn't matter why you killed them, it's still wrong," Koji said.

"I see your point, but say that your child was sick with some disease and it was killing him slowly and painfully and he cried about it all the time. He is in so much pain that he can't move, walk, or talk. There is nothing you or the doctors can do about it so he suffers constantly. Would you kill him quickly and painlessly or would you watch him suffer?" Chill asked.

"He has a point," Kiki said grudgingly.

"I don't care. I wouldn't be able to kill him. That's my child. MY CHILD. It would hurt to see him in pain constantly, yes, but I would not be able to kill him. Plus Flow can heal all wounds and sicknesses so it doesn't apply to me." She smiled.

"That's not the point." Chill said in frustration.

"Life is pleasant and death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome." Shadow said softly."

"If she wasn't your friend and couldn't do anything about it then what would you do?" Chill asked.

"I would try to do anything in my power to save him," Koji stated.

"But there's nothing you can do."

"I would have to try."

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall." Shadow stated.

"But you love him to much to see him hurt like that." Chill said, relentless.

"I would love him to much to kill him or not give him the chance to get better, to live life to the fullest." Koji said.

"But it's crazy to let him suffer if you can take away the pain."

"There is always some madness in love. But there is also some reason in madness." Shadow said with a soft smile.

"But if you can take the pain away and there is nothing you can do for him, he will die with out a doubt, then it's stupid to make him suffer."

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

"I would love him to much to take his life or his chance to live and maybe even to love. Miracles do happen."

"Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life." Shadow said.

"Shut up! What is it with you and the ancient Chinese proverbs!" Chill said heatedly.

"The best antiques are old friends."

"What if you have no friends?" He shot at Shadow. He just shrugged. "You cant save your child. He will die. As in only a few hours to live. What would you do then?" he asked Koji.

"Cry. Cry for all that he will miss and for how much he will be missed."

"Reality bites with a variety of sizes of teeth." Shadow stated softly.

"But I would move on. I wouldn't stop living when he did."

"One can survive anything and everything, nowadays, except death, and live down everything except a good reputation."

"What the hell is your problem! Do you have a box of fortune cookies over there or what!" Chill yelled at him annoyed. Shadow just smiled.

"Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love."

"Damn you! Someone autta push your ass off a cliff." He muttered under his breath.

"If you fall either I fall with you or I'll catch you and pull you back up."

"Shut up!"

"I love you." Koji said snuggling into his side. "You and your fortune cookies."

"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides."

"Alright Confucius. How do you stop being in love?" Chill sneered.

"There is no remedy for love but to love more."

"What if you fall out of love?"

"Is love supposed to last throughout all time, or is it like trains changing at random stops. If I loved her, how could I leave her? If I felt that way then, how come I don't feel anything now?"

"That makes no sense. Well, what if she doesn't love you?"

"Just because you love someone doesn't mean you have to be involved with them. Love is not a bandage to cover wounds."

"What? It's probably just passion then, right?"

"It is with our passions, as it is with fire and water, they are good servants but bad masters."

"Hey!" Koji cried indignantly. "I had a dream that I was the ruler of the universe and I was pretty darn good at it too."

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

"Hey!"

"Why don't we go shopping?" Kiki asked. "I want a new pair of boots. My old ones are out of style. There are no proverbs in that." Shadow smiled.

"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months."


	9. Storms of Love

Author's Note:

Hi. Black Rose here. I've discovered that my spacing techniques at the time jumps don't work so I'm experimenting with some things. Don't pay any attention to it if it looks weird. Just it means some amount of time has elapsed. There are also some Japanese words that I used as names for some new characters. They have different meanings so I thought I should explain so you will understand the chapter.

Kane-golden

Kiyoshi-Quiet

Chika-Wisdom, intelligence

Thank You. Now back to your story, already in progress.

Moji looked up at the Farris wheel as it went around and around and around. She stiffened slightly. Someone had come up behind her. "Mind if I sit here?" She nodded not looking up. "I'm not coming on to you or anything," he said quickly. "I'm waiting for my sister to get off."

"Yeah, sure."

"Thanks." He said. "I'm Kane, by the way," he said after a few seconds of silence, extending his hand. She shook it then retreated into her own thoughts again. She looked at Kane from the corner of her eye. His name fit him perfectly. He had a thick mane of gold blond hair that looked as if it held the sun itself in its tresses. He had a wonderful gold-brown tan and a great body. He looked just like- Moji's heart started to race as she thought of the possibilities. How long had it been? How long did it take?

"Kane! Kane!" a shrill female voice called. A girl with platinum blond hair bounded up. Well it was supposed to be platinum blond. It looked more like a reverse skunk thing goin on.

"Hi, Chika. How was the ride?" 'Chika?' she thought. She looked so ditzy it was scary.

"It was great!" Moji winced. She hadn't known human voices could go that high. "We had- Oh! ICE CREAM!" she squealed in delight. "Can we, Kane? Please! Please! Please! Please! Pl-"

"Give her the damn money already!" Tinco snapped. She had come up behind them to get Moji. Her ears were starting to bleed. He gave her a 5 and she skipped off with a smile that would make you think he had just crapped a diamond and given it to her.

"Sorry. She can be a little…"

"Ear shattering?" she said trying to stop the ringing in her ears.

"Yeah. She just doesn't realize it," he said with a sheepish smile.

"You're stronger than me. I would have killed her by now." He laughed. A little girl seemed to materialize next to him. Moji jumped. Tinco had heard her coming.

"Kiyoshi! How was the ride?" She looked about six years old and her solemn gray eyes surveyed Tinco as if she were a pile of shit. Moji didn't fair too much better. Tinco returned the gaze. "Did you have fun?" she nodded. "Good. Well, see you around."

"Later," Tinco and Moji said together.

"Let's ride this one next, Kane!"

"Okay, okay! Get in line. Go see if you're tall enough, Kiyoshi." She walked off toward the measuring stick. 'It was weird,' he thought. 'I felt as if I should have known those girls. Who are they? I never even got their names.'

"Kane! Come on! We're next!"

"He looked just like Him." Moji said dully. "What if he's back?" she asked her voice wavering.

"Don't go getting your hopes up. I don't know how long the process takes so don't get excited."

"But there is a possibility?"

"Yeah," Tinco sighed. "A one in a million possibility."

"Then there's still a chance."

"Moji-"

"I know. Don't get my hopes up." Even as she said it Tinco could tell that the information hadn't really sunk in. Moji smiled and they walked on.

They ran into the apartment, laughing hard. "We're soaked!" Tinco said holding her hand against her ribs to ease the stitch that stabbed her so sharply from the run. Thunder cracked loudly outside.

"Mother!" Kurama called into the dark interior of the house. "Mother?" They had been walking around outside holding hands when the rain started to crash to the ground. Kurama's apartment had been closer so they had come here. Kurama walked over to the telephone and pushed a button. It beeped and his mothers voice came on over the din of the storm.

"Hi, honey. I'm at Antoko's. I'm safe. You know where everything is if the power goes out. Typhoons can get very dangerous, be careful. I love you. Bye." The phone clicked off. Then clicked on again. "Alright. It's getting bad. Call me if you can when you get in. Love you, bye." Kurama had picked up the phone and started to dial when a huge crack of thunder shot through the air and the lights went out.

"Well," he said with a sigh. "The phone's out." He went to the door and turned all of the locks and made sure that all of the deadbolts were completely closed. He went to the pantry and picked up two hurricane lamps and two flashlights. He lit the lamps and took one into the bathroom. He closed and barred the shutters on the windows. He went to his room and got a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He came down and gave them to Tinco. "Put these on and give me your clothes. Bathroom's up the stairs at the end of the hall." Tinco dried her hair and put on the clothes.

When she came out and went down stairs Kurama was waiting for her, already changed and rubbing his hair dry with a towel. "Want to play a game?"

"What?"

"Poker?"

"No. Strip chess." She saw the fire light his emerald eyes. He licked his lips.

"Alright." They went upstairs to his room with the remaining lamp and Kurama got the cards. "Equal clothes items. I've got on three, which leaves you with four. I'll let you keep all your clothes. You're going to need them."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Really. I plan to get you out of those clothes with a quickness."

"Talk is cheep," she said as she moved her first piece.

Over an hour later, clad in only her bra and panties, Tinco looked over at Kurama and thought he was far to smug, dressed in pants and what ever he had on under his pants. One question kept playing itself over and over in her mind: boxers or briefs? It was driving her crazy, and she might just find out. "Check," she said on a sigh. A fox against a cat. They had only played three games in an hour and 45 minutes. She wanted to run her hands over every inch of him.

"If you could take your eyes off my chest for two minutes you would know it's your turn," he said with a smirk. She grinned and moved her queen.

"Check."

"Mate," he said knocking over his own king. "You win again," he said standing to unzip and unbutton his pants. They slid to the floor and she finally got her answer. Nothing…………… Nothing but a pair of boxer-briefs. They set up for another game and two more hours later had Tinco in only a bra and in grave danger in losing it. Twenty minutes later Kurama sat back and moved his rook. "Check." He smirked, knowing she had no more moves left to make. "You chose this game, knowing that it would take hours to get you naked, didn't you?"

"Yes," she said with smug smile.

"Well, strip girl!" She slowly unclasped her bra and slipped it off. She sat there naked; she could feel his eyes touching every part of her body. It turned her stomach to Jell-O. He slowly came over and took her into his arms. He kissed her slowly taking his time. He lay her down on the carpet and lay down on top of her. He kissed the slender column of her throat and gently bit her earlobe, making her shiver. He sat back suddenly leaving her dazed as she watched him reach into the pocket of his discarded pants and removed a small velvet box.

From it he lifted a delicately wrought silver chain, and fastened it about her neck. "Kurama?" She asked, curiously, she ran her fingers along the fine links until she encountered the single pendant lying in the shadow between her breasts. Lifting the piece, she discovered a perfect, shining silver heart, a sparkling diamond in its very center.

Kneeling before her, Kurama circled his arms about her waist. In a voice brimming with emotion, he said," You are the keeper of my heart."


	10. Shadows

**Author's Note:**

In this part of the story I've just decided to give up and put "later" on my time jumps because my techniques aren't working and it just looks weird. Also, there are some more poems in this chapter donated by my friend Shawn. (Sometimes even an evil mastermind needs help, though we'll never admit it) All the credit for the poems go to him. I don't clam them as my own in any way. Though I did change and add some words. All right. Now back to your story already in progress.

Shadow lay in the bed, Dew curled against his side, her breathing deep with sleep. He looked down at her now blonde hair and wrinkled his nose. Though Dew looked good in any color he preferred her blue hair. It was more Her. He ran has finger up her arm slowly, feeling the soft fine hairs. Sure, most of the time she was blue but he liked her skin better. Though she looked the same as far as facial and body features went, she was different. More mortal looking. He liked it, but didn't prefer it.

He liked it when she was his Dew. With her blue skin, and water hair that had the little fishes in its long tresses. He liked her natural. He smiled, elemental. Dew shifted and scratched her arm where his fingers had been and his smile widened. She sighed with sleepy irritation as his fingers started again. Dew opened her eyes and blinked owlishly at him, her crystal blue eyes reminding him of the Caribbean waters. Dear sweet Lord, he loved her.

She was his. Shadow had never had much of anything that was his and his alone. And Dew would never be "His". He would have to share her with her friends. But in all the ways that mattered, she was his and his alone. The one thing he could call his own. His one thing of true value. His heart swelled as she smiled sleepily and snuggled closer into his side.

She had always been slow to wake, and he shook her a little to get her moving. The others were already up and about. "Time to get up," he said softly, settling a kiss on her brow. She grunted her protest and snuggled more deeply into the covers and his side. He shook her again. Dew sighed in defeat and sat up.

"Okay. Okay. I'm up. Can't we stay in bed today?" she yawned. Shadow grinned and pinned her back down onto the mattress, giving her a purely predatory smile of satisfaction.

"Can you give me a good reason to?" She smiled.

"I think I can give you one or two very good reasons," she said and kissed him lightly.

"You'll have to do better than that," he murmured against her lips. She kissed him again, deeply and twined her fingers into his ebony hair, wrapping her long legs around him, fitting her lithe body to his. Someone knocked on the door. "No one's home," Shadow said and resumed his kiss.

"Come on. Flame wants us all down stairs," Kiki said through the door.

"Later."

"Now."

"Fuck that."

"Fine, you deal with her." There was silence on the other side and Shadow slid his hands under her tank top. Another knock sounded at the door.

"Get up." Tinco said.

"Go away."

"Now, Shadow."

"No."

"Maybe we should go," Dew said softly, in-between kisses.

"No. Make that a hell no."

"Shadow, don't make me come in there after you two," Tinco said, her voice turning hard.

"Try," he said and snapped his fingers. Shadows immediately swarmed the door, forming a dark barrier around the door.

"Damn it, Shadow! Get your asses out here NOW! This is an important meeting." A long shadow detached itself from the door and formed into a copy of Shadow.

"Maybe you don't understand. I am going to spend this time with Dew, whether you like it or not," the copy said coldly, taking a menacing step toward Tinco. "I haven't even seen Dew for years, much less touched her, and I'm long over due. Leave. Now. Go have your meeting. I'll keep one ear to the ground and fill Dew in later." The shadow dissolved and joined its brothers back around the door.

"Jackass," she muttered under her breath.

Later that day……….

Shadow sat up in bed and looked down at Dew as she slept on, exhausted. Her control on he appearance had slipped during the throws of passion and her blue hair and skin shimmered as sunlight poured in from the window. 'A goddess,' he thought. The words instantly popping into his head and formed into shadows in front of him.

A goddess is someone of beauty

Someone of humor

Someone who lights up your life and puts the sun to shame

The sun could not shine as bright as her smile

Even the most delicate of roses could not match her beauty

A goddess is intelligent

Not just body and beauty

To look upon her is to see heaven in her eyes

She is perfection

She is you

Shadow smiled and carefully shifted out of bed making sure not to disturb Dew. He quickly showered and dressed and walked back out of her bathroom. Dew was dressing and walked over and kissed him. "Good afternoon," she said softly.

"Hello."

"Breakfast?"

"Lunch."

"Okay." They left the room hand in hand and walked down the stairs, into the kitchen.

"So the love birds are awake," Kiki said with a laugh.

"I think they've been awake for a long time," Chill said with a devilish light in his eyes. "Good to see that you two are so enthusiastic about getting reacquainted."

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm," Shadow said, a ghost of a smile playing on his mouth. Dew giggled and Chill groaned.

"Dear sweet lord, please don't start with the fortune cookie shit again."

"Now that the two of you have wasted the day away…" Tinco said letting her voice trail away expectantly.

"The most wasted of all days is that in which we have not laughed." Kiki stifled a giggle.

"Very funny."

"He laughs best who laughs last."

"I think he's laughing at you, Tinco." Chill said, covering a smile with his hand.

"Laugh and the world laughs with you."

"You are so stupid," Chill said shaking his head.

"Before God we are al equally wise – and equally foolish."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"No I called you foolish." Tinco smiled.

"Oh, shut up."

"Bach gave us God's Word. Mozart gave us God's laughter. Beethoven gave us God's fire. God gave us Music that we might pray without words."

That night………

The clock down stairs struck twelve and Shadow looked up into the night sky. Dew sighed behind him and stretched out on the bed, falling back into a deep sleep. She slept a lot lately, he thought. 'Midnight star' he thought and again the words formed out of shadows in front of him.

As I stand under the midnight sky

I see a twinkle in the darkness

That twinkle is a star

That star is a reminder

Of you

In your eyes twinkles a star

Much like the star that shines in the sky

You are the sun that brightens my day

The moon that lights up my nights

The light that chases away the shadows that shroud my soul

London, England 1720

The stuccoed town house in the southern end of Park Lane was a Palladian masterpiece. Although not the largest home in London it was undoubtedly one of the most elegant with its wide marble foyer and double staircase that led to a long picture gallery. There was a clever balcony that overlooked the park that had been transformed into a conservatory and a formal drawing room with a great deal of masterpieces from Flemish artists. As the crowning glory the ballroom held a hint of Versailles with surrounding mirrors, heavy chandeliers and French furnishings. And it was all hers.

Dew surveyed the people dancing and mingling in the ballroom. She smiled and flirted as she made her way through them, accepting dance offers for later in the evening. She stopped to gossip and to talk with various ladies and gentlemen, keeping an aloof and nonchalant air around her. She tensed as she felt an odd prickling race over her skin. A chill inched down her spine as she realized that someone from across the room was watching her. Watching her with such intensity that she could physically feel the relentless gaze as it made a lazy survey of her slender form.

Thrusting aside the strange sense of unease, Dew forced herself to turn and discover the tall gentleman standing alone in a distant corner, but when she at last caught sight of him, her heart stuttered to a halt. Although he was properly attired in a black coat, pantaloons and a crisply tied cravat, he bore no resemblance to the other gentlemen that lounged about the room. Well over six feet there was a raw, elegant power in his lean form that Dew could sense even at a distance. It was in the manner he leaned negligently against a marble column and in the arrogant tilt of his head.

She inclined her head at him, a slight smile touching her lips. She glanced at the doors leading to the small balcony over the garden, then turned her attention to the gentlemen at her side and continued to engage in flirtation with him. After a few minutes she started to slowly edge her way to the garden's balcony doors. Once out in the warm May air she made her way slowly down the stone steps and into the garden. The poem she had received that morning suddenly popped into her head.

Rose

A flower of love

A flower of color

A flower of meaning

Yellow for our friendship at the start

White for remembrance of our time together

Pink for how sweet my feelings are for you

And red for the passion my heart holds for you

'The rose garden,' she thought with a smile. She made her way quickly through the winding pathways until she arrived at the arches, covered in the roses that were tamed to wind upward around them. The sweet smell of flowers filled the air as she sat down on a bench and smoothed the folds of her gown. "Hello," a soft male voice said from her side. She looked up to see Shadow leaning against one of the stone arches, his arms and ankles crossed.

"Hello," she said standing up to face him. He stepped close enough so that she had to crane her neck to look into his ebony eyes. "Shadow," she said, her voice sounding breathless even to her own ears. Unable to resist the temptation that swirled through him, Shadow leaned forward to gently kiss her. His arms wrapped around her slender frame, bringing her against the taut lines of his own body. He yearned to taste deeply of her, to allow the desires of the night and silver moon to sweep them into oblivion.

"Shadow," a voice said snapping him out of memories. "What do you think we should get Flow for her birthday. And think happy thoughts, okay?" Chill said.

"The secret of happiness is to make others believe they are the cause of it."

"Oh, God, not this again." Shadow smiled.

"I still love you," Dew said as she walked into the room.

"Love is like a mountain, hard to climb, but once you get to the top the view is beautiful." Shadow said. He looked over at Dew and grabbed her hand, pulling her down into his lap. "My love for you is fathomless. A thing of darkness," he whispered so that only she could hear.

"Do you have any more of these fortunes?" Chill asked. "If you do, please get them out now."

"Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. The most important thing you can give some one is a chance; grief teaches the steadiest minds to waver; we hate some persons because we do not know them, and we will not know them because we hate them; no passion so effectively robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear; a real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out; call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family, whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one; a real friend is someone you call to come get you out of jail but a true friend is the person sitting beside you in the jail cell saying 'Woo that was fun!'."

"What the hell is your deal? What is it with the fortune crap? Seriously. Do you have nothing else to do with your time? Is it a cry for attention or what? I mean come on. Do you look this stuff up or do you just spend your days thinking of sayings like that?" Shadow blinked, his face showing mild surprise, then the laughter died in his eyes and he looked away. He stood and walked to the door. Chill winced, immediately noticing his mistake. Shadow stopped at the door and turned slightly back into the room so that his profile could be seen.

"Everyone bleeds secret wounds," he said softly, his voice impassive. "Some just hide the blood better than others." He walked out. Dew gave Chill such a look of loathing that he flinched.

"Jack ass," she said and followed Shadow out. Kiki slapped him on the back of his head.

"Good job, ass hole," she said sharply.

"I didn't mean it the way it sounded!" he protested, rubbing his head.

"Yeah, well, the damage's done now. Chill, how could you say that to him? You know Shadow doesn't make friends easily. The guy is death for cryin out loud. It's a bitch for him to just get through the day. He doesn't need us criticizing him for what he says. He barely says anything at all!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to him." She paused and looked out the window. "Never mind. He just left."


End file.
